Book Review: “The Score Takes Care Of Itself: My Philosophy Of Leadership” By Bill Walsh With Steve Jamison And Craig Walsh (2009, 288 Pages)

The MVP of management books.

Even if Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll won a record four Super Bowls*, Bill Walsh is probably the greatest coach in NFL history due to his imprint on the game through the West Coast offense and the power of his management principles.

He transformed the San Francisco 49ers, the worst franchise in all of professional sports at the time, into the dominant team of the NFL. During the ensuing fourteen years, the San Francisco 49ers would win five Super Bowls**.

In this book, Walsh explains his leadership philosophy.

I have a read a pile of management books and this is clearly the best one.

Professional sports are ultra-competitive. Coaches must obtain quick results while managing ego-driven stars. This is why they often are great management lecturers.

In “The Score Takes Care Of Itself,” Bill Walsh demonstrates that the art of management is all about human behavior. The principles he explains in this book could be applied to any management context in any corporation.

They happen to have been forged in professional football but that’s only incidental. This book is not about football or sports. It’s about helping human beings give their best individually and as a team.

Bill Walsh’s book is even better than the leadership treatise recently published by Phil Jackson, NBA’s greatest coach ever.

RATING: A.

* In 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.

** In 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1994. Walsh led the 49ers to their first three Super Bowls and his philosophy paved the way for their two subsequent victories.